Blog Stats

Bible Verses

Like this:

“The Light shines through the darkness and the darkness can never extinguish it.” John 1:5 (NLT)

Very powerful verse. We are seeing firsthand how the Light of God is beginning to shine through the darkness that has gripped Ubauna for many years. Macumba, the Brazilian “version” of African voodoo has been very prevalent and influential in that area but God is starting to weaken it’s power there. The mother saint of the Macumba temple for over 50 years (she was retired but still very powerful) accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior on our last trip. She was also healed as a “bonus”.

“Declare the Praises of Him who has called you out of the darkness into His wonderful Light.”

1 Peter 2:9

In early 2004, Christy was baptized. Our families came down to Wilmington for the special occasion and my parents gave Christy a small framed print of the Tybee Lighthouse, and it had this verse on it. Later in July of that year we went on our first mission trip to Brazil.

Shortly after we got back, Howard Pattis, Christy’s former boss at the apt. community she managed in Savannah prior to moving back to Wilmington called and asked Christy to come back to Savannah and work for him again. We loved Wilmington but we had some very hard, dark times there financially. It was a very difficult time for us. Many times we didn’t know how we were going to make it.

However, we did move back to Savannah and three years later God has “called us out of (that) darkness into His wonderful Light” and out of financial bondage. He blessed us in late 2006 with a tremendous financial blessing that has allowed us to get out of debt. It has made a dramatic impact in our lives and we are now able to focus on using our money that used to go to credit cards, etc. for expanding His Kingdom.

Thank you Jesus! We love you for showing us your awesome Mercy.

My parents didn’t know the importance of that print when they gave it to Christy but God knew.

“All flesh is like grass, and all its glory like the flower of the field; the grass withers, and the flower wilts; but the word of the Lord remains forever.”

-1 Pet 1:23-25

When I last read that; I was instantly reminded of a quote from Alice Walker: “I think it pisses God off if you walk by the colour purple in a field somewhere and don’t notice it.”

When I came across the quote by Alice Walker, I tried to figure out what it meant; I came to the conclusion that what she was trying to say was that it annoys God when you miss his beautiful and majestic creations on this earth. I came to this conclusion because to me it seems like it would be pretty hard to miss a purple flower in a field because it would stick out; and if you did miss it then you aren’t very observant. Also, since the colour purple is so symbolic -look at the Romans and everything in history around them- I decided that it was probably a majestic flower.

After reading the verse from the Bible, I began to wonder if maybe the flower that Mrs. Walker was talking about might actually be people and the legacy that they leave or the greatness that they achieve in life; or possibly how much they contribute to God and that of the church. Since God made us in his image -I’m not sure what your beliefs or faith is, and I’m using what I’ve been taught and what I believe in as support for this idea- it would seem logical -maybe not the best
word- that he would want us to appreciate what people such as Einstein, Pope John Paul, Martin Luther King Jr., Stephen Hawking, and thousands of other people who have contributed immensely to bettering society and who have helped other people and have bettered the lives of thousands. Or even just recognizing the simple contribution
that a police officer, a teacher, or a stranger on the street who picks up a piece of trash or helps pick something up that someone dropped makes to someone’s daily life.

“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always trusts, always protects, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails.” – 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

“This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.” Mark 7: 6-7

These verses are at the heart of the so-called “Christianity” that is being preached and practiced in America. Let’s call it the “Milli-Vanilli Effect.” It sounds good and looks pretty but there is no meaning behind it. It’s just a hollow shell of the true Gospel of Jesus Christ.

1 Cor 13:8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they shall fail; where there are tongues, they will cease; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.
1Cor 14:22 Tongues, then, are a sign, not for believers but for unbelievers; prophecy, however, is for believers, not for unbelievers.

I don’t know if these are my favorite verses, but they are so needed in this mixed up, crazy world, there is so much foolishness being taught in the world today in reference to tongues and spiritual gifts, I’m actually embarrassed by these so-called “preachers” that make fools of themselves. Study the Word folks, come out from among them and be ye seperate!

Thank you for the verses Greg. I love 1 Cor 13. Yes, you are right everything we do as believers must have a strong biblical and scriptural foundation, and there is a lot of foolish, and downright false, teachings on the Gifts of the Spirit – a major false doctrine being Cessationism that is taught by several denominations but is prevalent in the Southern Baptist camp. Taking one or two scriptures out of context and then building a doctrine around them that is then taught and preached is dangerous theology, and strips away a fundamental aspect of God’s Word and how His Kingdom is to be built by his believers (or what spiritual “tools” are to be used).

The Word is clear on the Gifts of the Spirit and clear that they are still in existence today. Someone can change the doctrine, word-play the scriptures as much as they like but it doesn’t change this fundamental truth. Even 1 Cor 13:8 shows this clearly when it states, “will” and “shall (KJV)” pass away. “Will” and “Shall” are not to be confused with “Has” or “Did”. Even the apostles had to have the Holy Spirit to do the things they did and that Holy Spirit is still the same and is still working through his believers in the same manner. The point of this text is actually centered on the importance of Christ-like love and the Love of God, which is at the core of who God and His Son are. Without love, NOTHING matters and NOTHING touches and transforms, and when the end has come, ONLY Love will remain. But until that end, the Gifts will still exist in God’s believers and the Spirit will still work in these ways through His believers that understand these truths.

And you’re also right Greg that there are incorrect and foolish teachings on the Gifts. One must understand how they are to be utilized in the believer and there can be misuse that will actually hinder people and affect their relationship with God (both believers and non-believers). This is why Paul wrote these letters because the church in Corinth were using them incorrectly and for their own benefit (seeking power, glory for themselves, etc.) and there wasn’t any Love behind them. When the Gifts of the Spirit are understood and allowed to be used properly through us by the Holy Spirit, it is a truly beautiful thing to witness and be a part of because the raw authority, power and love of God is on full display….and this is what changes people, transforms them, heals them and sets them free of their spiritual bondages.

It is unfortunate that the American church has diluted, and many times taken the Spirit out of their doctrines completely, and taught falsely on the Gifts because the very power of God has been stripped away and that’s way so many christians are living unhappy, joyless and confused lives and being ineffective in bringing the Kingdom of God to those that are lost, hurting and broken around them. Fruit of the Spirit + Gifts of the Spirit = Victory in God’s Kingdom.

“I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die.” John 11:25-26

This verse helped me get through the death of a friend; I was able to understand that he was in a better place. It is also very comforting to know that Christ cares for us so much and that we are all guaranteed salvation through him!

“But The Lord provided a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was inside the fish three days and three nights.” (Jonah 1:17)

It’s verse speaks to me of God at work in and through dark times. It’s about God’s great love for a disobedient man in an unpleasant place as a result of his sin. God didn’t save Jonah FROM the fish, but rather THROUGH the fish (and the storm and the plant and the worm and the sun and the wind — see 1:4, 4:6, 4:7, 4:8). Jonah 1:17 reminds me of God’s grace and love, and helps me to see Him at work in the dark times of my life. It reminds me, too, of the many in-between times found in scripture, when God seems silent but is very much at work, like when the Israelites stood at water’s edge in the Exodus, when they wandered the desert, when the prophets were silent for hundreds of years before Christ came, when Jesus grew in wisdom and stature and favor before beginning his earthly ministry, and when he lay in the grave for days before his resurrection.

2 Timothy 1:7
“For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love, and of self-discipline.”

This is my selected confirmation verse and it has inspired me to leave my legacy in other people’s life. The apostle Paul is such an inspiration to me. If you ever are in need of good reading, read one of Paul’s 13 books in the Bible (Romans-Philemon).

You share interesting things here. I think that your blog can go
viral easily, but you must give it initial boost and i
know how to do it, just search in google for – mundillo
traffic increase go viral